London Grammar are a British trio formed by Hannah Reid, Dan Rothman and Dominic 'Dot' Major. London Grammar's music has been described as "a blend of ambient, ethereal and classical sounds" with melancholy guitar, soaring vocals, and plaintive lyrics. Hannah Reid's powerful, brooding vocals, prominent on all of London Grammar's tracks released to date, are often compared to those of Judie Tzuke and Florence Welch.
If You Wait is the debut studio album by English indie pop band London Grammar, released on 6 September 2013 by Metal & Dust Recordings and Ministry of Sound.
Partnered with an appearance on Disclosure's Mercury-nominated album Settle, the Nottingham University alumni had set the internet hype machine in motion, less than a year after forming. With obvious nods to the unfussy, reverbed guitar motifs of the xx, alongside Hannah Reid's beautiful, emotive vocal ability -- which rises and falls with an alarmingly disarming effect -- the album is a practice in refrain, where each song is pushed to the brink of an inevitable climax and achingly, no further.
The percussive production, synths, and basslines provided by multi-instrumentalist Dot Major, build on this sense of drama and urgency and are displayed perfectly in one of the highlights of the record, "Wasting My Young Years." Its throbbing chorus is chastened by the slow-burning synths and guitars that come together with stunning results when coupled with Reid's vocal delivery.
The obvious confidence Reid has in her own voice belies the apparent vulnerability in the words she sings throughout, and the piano ballad "Strong" is testament to the loneliness and heartbreak that encapsulates the brooding feel of the album, which conflicts with the almost upbeat, danceable moments scattered amongst "Flickers" and "Stay Awake."
They pay homage to their electronic influences mid-album with a rework of Kavinsky's "Nightcall" that unfolds gently into one of the most boisterous cuts on the record. It's no surprise that Reid's strong vocals are at the forefront of London Grammar's sound, and her voice dominates their music in much the same way as Florence Welch's does in Florence + the Machine. However, although at times they come close to overshadowing the subtle instrumentation provided by Major and Dan Rothman, it’s actually the intrinsic balance between the contributions of all three that defines their sound.
Tracklist
1. "Hey Now" (Hannah Reid) - 3:27
2. "Stay Awake" (Reid) - 3:05
3. "Shyer" (Reid) - 3:07
4. "Wasting My Young Years" (Reid) - 3:24
5. "Sights" (Reid) - 4:13
6. "Strong" (Reid) - 4:35
7. "Nightcall" (Vincent Belorgey, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo) - 4:30
8. "Metal & Dust" (Reid) - 3:28
9. "Interlude" (Live) (Reid) - 4:04
10. "Flickers" (Reid, Rothman) - 4:45
11. "If You Wait" (Reid) - 4:44
Deluxe edition
1. "Help" (Reid) - 3:53
2. "Darling Are You Gonna Leave Me" (Reid) - 3:02
3. "Help Me Lose My Mind" (Disclosure featuring London Grammar) (Reid) - 4:06
4. "High Life" (Reid) - 4:03
5. "Maybe" (Reid) - 4:23
6. "When We Were Young" (Reid) - 3:06
All songs produced by Tim Bran, Roy Kerr and London Grammar, except where noted.
Released: 6 September 2013
State Of The Ark Studios (Richmond, London), Sofa Sound Studios (London), Smecky Music Studios (Prague)
Genre: Electronica, downtemp, pop
Length: 65:55
Label - Metal & Dust/Ministry of Sound
Partnered with an appearance on Disclosure's Mercury-nominated album Settle, the Nottingham University alumni had set the internet hype machine in motion, less than a year after forming. With obvious nods to the unfussy, reverbed guitar motifs of the xx, alongside Hannah Reid's beautiful, emotive vocal ability -- which rises and falls with an alarmingly disarming effect -- the album is a practice in refrain, where each song is pushed to the brink of an inevitable climax and achingly, no further.
The percussive production, synths, and basslines provided by multi-instrumentalist Dot Major, build on this sense of drama and urgency and are displayed perfectly in one of the highlights of the record, "Wasting My Young Years." Its throbbing chorus is chastened by the slow-burning synths and guitars that come together with stunning results when coupled with Reid's vocal delivery.
The obvious confidence Reid has in her own voice belies the apparent vulnerability in the words she sings throughout, and the piano ballad "Strong" is testament to the loneliness and heartbreak that encapsulates the brooding feel of the album, which conflicts with the almost upbeat, danceable moments scattered amongst "Flickers" and "Stay Awake."
They pay homage to their electronic influences mid-album with a rework of Kavinsky's "Nightcall" that unfolds gently into one of the most boisterous cuts on the record. It's no surprise that Reid's strong vocals are at the forefront of London Grammar's sound, and her voice dominates their music in much the same way as Florence Welch's does in Florence + the Machine. However, although at times they come close to overshadowing the subtle instrumentation provided by Major and Dan Rothman, it’s actually the intrinsic balance between the contributions of all three that defines their sound.
Tracklist
1. "Hey Now" (Hannah Reid) - 3:27
2. "Stay Awake" (Reid) - 3:05
3. "Shyer" (Reid) - 3:07
4. "Wasting My Young Years" (Reid) - 3:24
5. "Sights" (Reid) - 4:13
6. "Strong" (Reid) - 4:35
7. "Nightcall" (Vincent Belorgey, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo) - 4:30
8. "Metal & Dust" (Reid) - 3:28
9. "Interlude" (Live) (Reid) - 4:04
10. "Flickers" (Reid, Rothman) - 4:45
11. "If You Wait" (Reid) - 4:44
Deluxe edition
1. "Help" (Reid) - 3:53
2. "Darling Are You Gonna Leave Me" (Reid) - 3:02
3. "Help Me Lose My Mind" (Disclosure featuring London Grammar) (Reid) - 4:06
4. "High Life" (Reid) - 4:03
5. "Maybe" (Reid) - 4:23
6. "When We Were Young" (Reid) - 3:06
All songs produced by Tim Bran, Roy Kerr and London Grammar, except where noted.
- London Grammar – production
- Tim Bran – additional programming, production (all tracks); additional keyboards (tracks 4, 7)
- City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra – strings
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Kevin 'KD' Davis – mixing
- James Fitzpatrick – orchestra contracting
- Manon Grandjean – engineering
- Jan Holzner – string recording
- Markus Karlsson – art direction
- Roy Kerr – additional programming, production
- Lee Kirby – photography
- Mat Maitland – art direction
- Wil Malone – string arrangements, string conducting (tracks 4, 5, 8, 11)
- Dipesh Parmar – A&R
- Ben Siegal – engineering (tracks 3, 8, 10, 11); piano recording, vocal recording (track 11)
- Tony Stanton – strings preparation
Released: 6 September 2013
State Of The Ark Studios (Richmond, London), Sofa Sound Studios (London), Smecky Music Studios (Prague)
Genre: Electronica, downtemp, pop
Length: 65:55
Label - Metal & Dust/Ministry of Sound
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